Here is how our House members and New York’s two senators voted on select issues during the legislative weeks ending July 25, as reported by Targeted News Service. Click here for previous votes.
Michael Lawler (R), District 17 (including Philipstown)
Lawler, 39, was elected to Congress in 2022 and re-elected in 2024. From 2021 to 2022, he was a Republican member of the state Assembly from the 97th district in Rockland County. A graduate of Suffern High School, he holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Manhattan College. He is a former director of the state Republican Party and former deputy supervisor of Orangetown.
Pat Ryan (D), District 18 (including Beacon)
Ryan, 43, was elected to Congress in 2022 and re-elected in 2024. Formerly the county executive of Ulster, he grew up in Kingston and holds a bachelor’s degree in international politics from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a master’s degree in security studies from Georgetown. Ryan served in the U.S. Army as a combat intelligence officer from 2004 to 2009, including two tours in Iraq. He is also a former technology executive.
Assigning Postal ZIP Codes
The House on July 21, by a 278-121 vote, passed a bill (H.R. 3095), sponsored by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), to require the Postal Service to assign a unique ZIP code to 74 communities located across the country. Boebert said having multiple communities share the same zip code has created confusion that impairs both reliable mail delivery and numerous statistical and service enterprises, such as insurance and emergency response. A bill opponent, Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.), said the bill lacked support from all 74 communities.
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted yes
Regulatory Paperwork
The House on July 21, by a 387-12 vote, passed the Improving Access to Small Business Information Act (H.R. 3351), sponsored by Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.), to exempt a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) agency advocating for small businesses from a regulatory paperwork reduction requirement. Kim said the exemption, by speeding agency activity, “will enable the advocate to gather more effective and timely data” and better serve small businesses.
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted yes
Great Lakes Fish Hatcheries
The House on July 22, by a 360-57 vote, passed the Great Lakes Mass Marking Program Act (H.R. 1917), sponsored by Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), to authorize a Fish and Wildlife Service program, begun in 2010, to tag hatchery-produced fish in the Great Lakes basin. Dingell said: “Marking all hatchery fish will drastically improve data collection, enabling better analysis of the health of wild fish stocks. This information will provide valuable insights to help develop a science-based, collaborative fishery management program.”
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted yes
Corporate Disclosures to Investors
The House on July 23, by a 381-31 vote, passed the Enhancing Multi-Class Share Disclosures Act (H.R. 3357), sponsored by Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.). The bill would require companies with multiple classes of stock that have differing levels of authority over company activity to increase their disclosure of holdings of all stock classes by senior executives and others. Meeks said it “gives Main Street investors the complete and full picture and the necessary information to make smart and informed decisions.”
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted yes
Coast Guard Programs
The House on July 23, by a 399-12 vote, passed the Coast Guard Authorization Act (H.R. 4275), sponsored by Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), to authorize funding, through fiscal 2029, for the Coast Guard, and establish plans to develop a Coast Guard Secretary position similar to that of other sections of the military. Graves said the bill sought to give Coast Guard staff “the authorities and resources that they need to carry out their missions which are critical to ensuring maritime safety, enforcing the United States laws at sea, and protecting our nation’s borders.”
Michael Lawler (R-17, including Philipstown) voted yes
Pat Ryan (D-18, including Beacon) voted yes
Along with roll call votes, the House also passed
■ The ACES Act (S. 201), to provide for a study on the prevalence and mortality of cancer among individuals who served as active duty aircrew in the Armed Forces;
■ The Law Enforcement Officer Recreation Pass Act (H.R. 183), to provide for a lifetime National Recreational Pass for law enforcement officers;
■ The Taiwan Conflict Deterrence Act (H.R. 1716), to require a Treasury Department report on financial institutions and accounts connected to senior officials of China’s government, and restrict financial services for certain immediate family of such officials; and
■ The China Financial Threat Mitigation Act (H.R. 1549), to require the Treasury Department to make a report on U.S. exposure to China’s financial sector.
SENATE
Drug Law Enforcement
The Senate on July 22, by a 50-47 vote, confirmed the nomination of Terrance Cole to be administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Cole worked at the DEA for more than two decades, after time in the Navy, and has since been Public Safety Secretary for the Virginia government.
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted no
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted no
Missouri Judges
The Senate on July 22, by a 51-46 vote, confirmed the nomination of Joshua Divine to be a judge on the two U.S. Eastern and Western Missouri District Courts. Divine has been Missouri’s Solicitor General for two years; he previously was a lawyer for Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. An opponent, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), called Divine “a political operative — a political operative — with no judicial experience, who made a career attacking everything from voting rights to commonsense gun safety, to defending government overreach into people’s private lives.”
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted no
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted no
The Senate on July 22, by a 50-47 vote, confirmed the nomination of Cristian Stevens to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. Stevens has been a judge on Missouri’s appeals court for nearly four years, following time as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District and as a private practice lawyer and lawyer in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office. An opponent, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), questioned whether Stevens would protect Americans’ rights, “demonstrate independence and integrity, and remain faithful to the Constitution and the rule of law.”
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted no
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted no
The Senate on July 23, by a 49-47 vote, confirmed the nomination of Zachary Bluestone to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. Bluestone is a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office headquartered in St. Louis. He is a former deputy solicitor general for the state and worked in various federal government agencies. An opponent, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), cited Bluestone’s loyalty to President Trump, and said “he does not have the experience necessary to handle the demands of the federal bench.”
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted no
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted no
Intelligence Official
The Senate on July 22, by a 51-46 vote, confirmed the nomination of Aaron Lukas to be principal deputy director of National Intelligence. A Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) official for more than two decades, Lukas was also a National Security Council staffer for one year during the first Trump administration and a Cato Institute analyst before joining the CIA. A supporter, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), said Lukas “has the right background to assist Director Gabbard with eliminating bureaucratic bloat and returning our intelligence community to its core mission of aggressively stealing the secrets of our adversaries.”
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) did not vote
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted no
Military Intelligence Official
The Senate on July 22, by a 61-35 vote, confirmed the nomination of Bradley Hansell to be Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security. A Navy and then Army officer for 13 years ending in 2015, Hansell has since been a National Security Council staffer for the first half of the first Trump administration, and a private investor and business consultant.
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted no
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted no
Assistant Commerce Secretary
The Senate on July 23, by a 52-41 vote, confirmed the nomination of Arielle Roth to be the Commerce Department’s Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information. Roth has been a lawyer in the House and Senate, including as a policy director on the Senate Commerce Committee, and a Federal Communications Commission staff lawyer. A supporter, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), said that on the Committee, “Arielle led my legislative and oversight efforts on communications and broadband policy with integrity, creativity, and dedication. I am not sure I have ever met someone as passionate about telecommunications law and policy as Arielle.”
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted no
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted no
Financial Crimes
The Senate on July 23, by a 51-47 vote, confirmed the nomination of John Hurley to be the Treasury Department’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Crimes. Hurley founded the Cavalry Asset Management financial firm in 2003; he has also been an Army officer and was on the Intelligence Advisory Board in the first Trump administration.
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted no
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted no
EPA Assistant Administrator
The Senate on July 23, by a 49-47 vote, confirmed the nomination of Aaron Szabo to be Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Currently a senior EPA advisor, for more than a decade Szabo was a lawyer at several different federal government agencies, including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and then was a lobbyist at two Washington, D.C., firms. An opponent, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), claimed that confirming Szabo would mean giving him “free rein to dismantle an office that is so central to the agency’s core mission and to the protection of all our constituents.”
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted no
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted no
Air Force Official
The Senate on July 24, by a 52-46 vote, confirmed the nomination of Matthew Lohmeier to be Under Secretary of the Air Force. Lohmeier was an Air Force pilot and officer for more than a decade, then a senior Space Force officer for a year, until being relieved of command in 2021. An opponent, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), said: “I am very skeptical that servicemembers and civilians who do not share his political opinions can trust that they will not be targeted under Mr. Lohmeier’s tenure.”
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted no
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted no
VA Finances
The Senate on July 24, by a 51-47 vote, confirmed the nomination of Richard Topping to be the Veterans Affairs Department’s Chief Financial Officer. An executive in the health care industry for most of the last 15 years, Topping spent five years, from 2001 to 2006, as an Army lawyer. A supporter, Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), cited the need for a nominee “to make certain taxpayer dollars are used effectively and transparently and to improve budget forecasting and management.” An opponent, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), said Topping “is not the kind of accountable and transparent leader that the American people and veterans across the country expect at the VA.”
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) voted no
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) voted no
